Heater coil for use with butane or propane gas systems



L. KLUCK May 9, 1950 HEATER COIL FOR USE WITH BUTANE OR PROPANE GASSYSTEMS Filed Aug. 14, 1946 be Im/enm r laws If LUCK Patented May 9,1950 UNKTED STATES PATENT QFFICE HEATER COIL FOR USE WITH BUTANE ORPROPANE GAS SYSTEMS 1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in heater coils for use withbutane or propane gas systems.

An object of the invention is to provide a hot water heater with aheating coil surrounding a portion thereof for heating butane or propanegas used for heating the water in said hot water heater, and foroperatin other appliances.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved heater coilfor use with butane or propane gas systems which will be disposed abouta portion of a tank in a hot Water heater which will be heated by thebutane or propane, to prevent the vaporized gas from freezing up in theregulator of the storage tank, and reducing the flow of vaporized gasnecessary for efficient operation of appliances in cold weather.

A further object of the invention is to provide a butane or propane gassystem including a tank for storing the gas, and an automatic hot waterheater associated therewith being heated by the butane or propane gas,and the pipe line of said tank leading to a coil disposed about thewater tank prior to the gas being led to the tank heating burnerelement, and from thence to other equipment as desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved insulated hotwater heater which will be heated by butane or propane gas from astorage tank suitably disposed below ground, and said 5 gas being led tothe hot water heater burner through a suitable pipe coiled about thetank portion of said hot water heater, whereby the gas will be heated atall times to prevent the same from returning from a vapor into a liquidstate.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved heater coilfor use with butane or propane gas systems including an automatic hotwater heater heated by the butane or propane gas, said gas being led tosaid heater by means of a pipe which will be wound in severalconvolutions about the tank portion of said heater, and then to the tankburner, whereby the gas will be heated to prevent the same fromreturning from a vapor state to a liquid state.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved heater coilfor use with butane or propane gas systems which will be highlyeflicient in operation, and relatively inexpensive to manufacture andproduce.

Other objects will appear as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this application,

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section of the improved automatichot water heater showing the heater coil connected with the butane orpropane gas tank and with the burner for said hot water heater.

Figure 2 is a sectional View taken on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing the check valve for thereturn conduit.

Like characters of reference are used throughout the followingspecification and the accompanying drawings to designate correspondingparts.

In carrying out the invention, there is provided an improved form ofautomatic hot Water heater including a tank I suitably supported inspaced relation from the ground or floor by means of the legs 2 whichare formed by a continuation of the outer jacket 3 placed about thelayer of insulating material 4, positioned between said tank I and saidjacket 3 and over the upper end thereof. A suitable metal cover 5 willbe disposed on the upper end of the outer jacket 3 to overlie theinsulating material 4 and to give a finished effect to the hot waterheater.

A cold water inlet pipe 6 will extend through the upper insulatingmaterial I; and be connected with the upper end of the storage tank I,while the hot water outlet pipe '8 will also extend through the upperportion of the insulating material 4 and. be connected with the upperend of the hot water storage tank I, as clearly illustrated in Figure 1of the drawings.

The storage tank 8 for the butane or propane gas will be buried underthe ground and will be provided with an outlet pipe 9 connectedtherewith, the same being connected at its upper end with theT-connection l0, and a pipe II will be connected to one end of the T-pinand connected with an L IE, to support the upwardly extending pipe itwhich will be connected by means of the union Hi to the inlet end of thegas-feeding coil comprising three convolutions of tubing disposed aboutthe upper end of the storage tank I and in close proximity thereto.

The metal cover plate 15 will be disposed about the heater coil [5 tocompletely encase the same, and the insulating material 4 will bedisposed about the outer edge of the said cover plate It between thesame and the inner surface of said outer jacket 3, as clearlyillustrated in the drawings.

The depending end or outlet end of the heater coil 15 is connected bymeans of the union H with the pipe it, which in turn is connected to thethermostat control it connected with the storage tank I, and from thenceextends downwardly to the T-connection 20, and inwardly to the gasburner 2|. A return pipe 22 is connected with the opposite side of theT-connection 20, and is connected to the central portion of theT-connection 22, one end of Which is connected by means of the pipe 23to the adjacent end of the T-connection ill for return to the said tank8. The pipe 24 connected with the outer end-of the T-connection 22'isadapted to be connected with other gas operated accessories (notshown).

A suitable base 25 Will be disposed beneath the legs 2 of the heater toform a firm support. for the same.

It is a Well known fact that in butane or propane gas systems,especially in cold Weather, un less the butane or propane gas is kept ata reassonably warm temperature the gas which is normally in a vaporstate will readily return tea,

liquid state, rendering itunfit for burning as a gas. Consequently, theimproved heater coiLhas been provided and placed in series with thehutanerorpropane gas line from the storage tank to the burner, anddisposed about the-hot Water tank to-heat the gas-.at-alltimes to keepit and to positively prevent it from retiu ning toa liquid state.

The l -connection lfi-houses a check valve 26 ion-the pipe Zia-that issoarranged'as to cause the butanegases risingin'the pipe, sto enterthepipe l-lratlier than the pipe 23. pressure of the butane gas in thepipe 23, acting on the check valve, exceedsthe pressure of the butanegas in the pipe 9, aiding in urging the check valve toitsclosedposition, the check valve will be open and the gasin the pipe23 can enter'the pipe 9 and return to the tank 8.

From the foregoing description, it will be ap" parent thatthere has beendevised andprovided a highly efficient form of automatic hot Waterheater, and a heating coil connected in series with the butane orpropane gas supply to the heater burner for retaining thelbutaneor pro-However, when the pane gas as a relatively high temperature, therebypreventing the gas from passing from a vapor state to or returning tothe liquid state.

While the preferred embodiment of the instant invention has beenillustrated and described, it Will be understood that it is not intendedto limit the scope of the invention thereto, as many minor changes indetail of construction may be resorted to Without departure from thespirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patentof. the United States is:

In thev combination of a hot Water tank having an insulated coveringthereabout, a fuel burner disposed beneath the tank for directly heatingsaid tank, and a gaseous supply for said burner; a heater coil embracingthe upper portion of the tank, saidheater coil having at least threeconvolutions of tubing disposed about the tank and in close proximitythereto, and a-cover plate disposed about the heater coil and completelyencasing the heater coil, said cover plate spacing the; heater coil fromthe insulated covering, said heater coilhaving first and second endportions projecting outwardly from the insulated covering, a supply pipeconnecting the first end portion of said'heater coil to the gaseoussupply for said-burner, and a further supplypipe connecting the secondend portion of the coil to the burner.

LOUIS KLUCK.

REFERENGES CITED The following references areof record in the fiie ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES ?ATENTS Number. Name Date 1,267,750 Good May 23, 19181,860,958 Sallee May 31, 1932 2,094,908. Thrall Oct. 5, 1937 2,255,747Jones Sept. 16, 1941 2,329,750 Faucher Sept. 21, 1943

